The reporter learned from the Three Gorges Group that recently, when researchers from the Yangtze River Biodiversity Research Center conducted a field survey in Wanzhou District, Chongqing, they found the rare and endangered species of wild lotus fern, which is the second discovery of this species after disappearing in the wild for 20 years, and this discovery also confirms that the wild species of the species has not yet become extinct.
Lotus fern is a species endemic to the Three Gorges area, only distributed in Wanzhou District, Fuling, Shizhu County and surrounding areas of Chongqing, once on the verge of extinction, and was listed as a national first-class key protected wild plant in 2021.
Zhu Haofei, researcher of the Yangtze River Biodiversity Research Center of Three Gorges Group: Because it has harsh requirements for habitat, it grows on cliffs, along streams, and is also harsh on the associated species of the surrounding environment, the humidity of the air, and the nutritional conditions, resulting in changes in its population.
In order to protect this unique rare plant, the Yangtze River Biodiversity Research Center has actively carried out conservation research on the lotus fern, and has artificially cultivated tens of thousands of plants through various breeding techniques such as seeding, plant division, and tissue culture. However, in the previous nearly 20 years of field investigations, researchers have not found any trace of wild lotus fern. The more than 20 wild species found this time were scattered on the cliffs by the river, growing robustly, which surprised them.
Huang Guiyun, senior engineer of the Yangtze River Biodiversity Research Center of China Three Gorges Group: The artificially protected lotus-leaf fern is certainly not as adaptable to the outside environment as the wild one. The discovery of wild species this time proves that this species is not extinct, and it can still be seen in the wild, since there are wild species, it proves that the ecology on both sides of the Yangtze River is constantly improving.
In the later stage, researchers will conduct long-term follow-up observation of the wild lotus fern to understand the changes and natural renewal of their populations under natural conditions, and expand the scope of investigation along the route to help the protection of the fern.
Source: CCTV News Client